Everyone is finding it tough at the moment and wants life to get back to normal.

We will be profiling local independent businesses regularly over the coming weeks in a feature called UP CLOSE IN MALDON DISTRICT to help showcase the area's diverse range of independent traders. By spending locally, you help support local jobs - and so build our communities back stronger.

Today we talk to the team behind the trio of On The Quay businesses at Burnham-on-Crouch.

THERE aren't many places more atmospheric than the quayside at Burnham-on-Crouch, whether in the bustle of life in bright sunshine or the more dramatic feel of a gloomier day.

Either way, there are plenty of places to eat, shop and enjoy some fun – and the trio of 'On the Quay' businesses are a great example of this.

On a visit to The Bistro on The Quay to see manager Claire Payne, one thing strikes you very quickly – there's a strong sense of community and openness as soon as you step inside. When Nub News pops in for a coffee and a chat, Claire is with close friend Julie Belverstone, herself a community-minded spirit who lives in Steeple.

The three businesses managed by Claire and owned by close friend Amanda Poll include Bistro on the Quay, Studio on the Quay (home to dance groups and events) and the new Emporium on the Quay, which offers a wide range of gifts and treats, from local-crafted jewellery and locally-produced honey and preserves, through to sweets, bath time treats, scented candles and all sorts of personal and home accessories.

Amanda may be the owner, but she too gets stuck in and works in the Emporium, giving much of any free time to support the new venture as well as working tirelessly behind the scenes.

Claire is also a busy mum and it's clear she's a great multi-tasker, driven to succeed and with the positive kind of outlook that meant the pandemic saw her managing a makeover of the businesses and opening a new one (the Emporium) during the months when they were forced to suddenly close their doors.

Her busy lifestyle means she isn't able to sit and chat for more than a minute or two at a time and so Julie has the job of telling us all about her energetic friend - not that Julie isn't energetic, too, helping Claire to run the Essex Business Directory, the Dengie, Maldon and Chelmsford Virtual Market and, seasonally, the Maldon and Dengie Virtual Christmas Market. There's a meeting of strong and determined womanhood here.

Julie says: "Claire and I became close friends when I started helping her do the directory for the Dengie and Maldon Virtual Christmas Market Facebook group, which she started back in September - this then led to starting the Essex Business Directory on Facebook, too.

"She puts her heart and soul into raising money for charities such as Burnham Carnival 2021, Knightswood Day Care Centre, Great Ormond Street Hospital and Steeple Village Hall."

So what drives Claire to manage all this and raise funds for the local community, too?

"She is a very caring, kind and thoughtful person and friend. Nothing is ever too much trouble for her," Claire explains, "and anything she does she gives 110 per cent."

The charity fundraising comes through the virtual markets, which have also served as a lifeline to small independent businesses across Maldon, Burnham, the Dengie and beyond during the pandemic.

When Claire is able to take a few minutes more to talk, she explains how she now hopes the new venture of The Emporium on the Quay will provide a place where local people can sell their crafts, produce and other goods, working further to support local spending, the local economy and local jobs.

"I want to bring the local community together here. We can all work together to help each other, all the independent businesses in the town and district," she says.

Claire is excited about what the Studio on the Quay can provide, too, and during school holidays and weekends – in addition to the regular dance classes held there by local group Epic Dance – there are all sorts of events planned for children of a wide age range, from dance to art and craft workshops, cake decorating and even slime-making, too!

"It's more important than ever now, the local community," she says, "and if there's one good thing that's come out of this pandemic, it's that."

You can find the Facebook page for The Bistro on the Quay here, the Emporium on the Quay here, as well as the On the Quay Facebook page here.

All pictures for this article were taken by Burnham-on-Crouch company, Shining Through Photography - you can visit the website using the link here.

The Keep it Local campaign is being launched through Maldon District Council's Sense of Place initiative, with funding from the Magnox Decommissioning Fund.